Broken Music
by Square-Peas
Summary: Tris finds a mage with a strange ability- and it's her responsibility to teach her. Can she handle instructing a student with magic that hasn't even been discovered yet?
1. Default Chapter

_It's too dark_, the copper- haired mage thought decidedly as she walked down the dimly lit streets of Namorn. Why she had chosen to come here, in the bitter cold of winter, was beyond her. Maybe it was because of Daja's glowing descriptions of a pair of twin mages...  
            Gods, what were their names?

            Shaking her head at her absentmindedness, she almost didn't see the diminutive street performer, playing an old Namornese song on an odd instrument, that was right in her path.

            "You shouldn't be playing in the middle of the street like that!" she said sharply as she veered to the left. The girl's eyes narrowed, but she continued to play and did not move.

            "Your funeral," she huffed, and continued on her way.

She felt a jab of pain in her ankle. Figuring it was an insect, she bent to slap it, then continued walking.

            When she felt it again, it wasn't just a jab, nor was it only in her ankle. It had spread over both of her legs, a fiery, burning pain.

            She collapsed in the middle of the street. When she tried to get back up again, it felt as though something was holding her down, pinned to the ground and helpless.

            Fear overrode common sense and she kicked and flailed. Passerby only glanced at her, then turned to look behind her, in the distance. She clumsily rolled over to see what had caught their attention.

            The girl playing the strange instrument had her eyes locked upon her, and was still playing. From the instrument a strange purple light was issuing.

            Magic? thought Tris doubtfully.

            No, it couldn't be magic. Neither Niko nor anyone else had ever mentioned _music_ magic.

            There was only one way to find out. Quickly she reached her hand up and unpinned one of her lightning braids, silently hoping that she didn't seriously injure the girl as she did. She had to be taught not to play with certified mages.

            The lightning twirled around her fingers, awaiting her command. Silently she sent it out towards the invisible restrictions that held her down.

            The lightening bounced right back. Sighing, caught it in her hand, and unpinned a tide braid as she did so.

            The steady power of the tide did the job, and she picked herself up and dusted off her skirts. Several people shouted angrily at her- they had been soaked.

            _A little water never hurt anybody_, she thought caustically, and smiled to herself. Especially the Namornese, who took steam baths rather than actually bathing.

            She strode over to the girl, who stood, defiant. Furious, she said,

            "Do you know who you're dealing with?"

            The girl was silent, considering her with glinting black eyes. Her skin was a smooth, caramel brown, and her hair was glossy black. She was really quite pretty, up close, Tris found herself thinking.

            "Well?" she repeated, noticing with distaste that there was now a crowd gathered around her.

            The girl remained voiceless, stroking the odd instrument that she cradled in her hands. It was shaped like a crescent moon, with small holes drilled on the outer curve, and a slightly larger hole on the left side of the inner curve. It fairly emanated magic, though there was not a magical rune to be seen on its surface.

            She felt her anger rising. Quickly, she calmed herself by thinking about what could happen if she lost control.

            "She doesn't speak," a withered Namornese widow said softly. "Her music speaks for her, and then some."

            Turning to the speaker, Tris said,

            "Does she have a name?"

            The widow considered this for a moment, dark eyes sparkling.

            "Her real name, no one knows. We call her Tailynn. She answers to it."

            "Why do you call her that?" inquired Tris, now mildly curious.

            The woman didn't reply.

            Another voice, belonging to a young Namornese male of about 15 years of age, said,

            "It was written on the blanket she was wrapped in when we found her. She's lived on the streets all her life 'cause someone dropped her off. Prolly scared of her music magic."

            Tris replied loftily,

            "Neither my teacher, Niklaren Goldeye, nor I have heard of a _music _magic," hoping that they would elaborate.

            Silence blanketed the square as the old widow replied,

            "You foreign mages think you know everything. If you knew half of what just people on the streets of Namorn knew, you'd be far wiser and perhaps have a right to act as though you own the world."

            To the surprise of the crowd, Tris laughed. She had heard similar comments before and knew how to handle them.

            "True," she said lightly.

            The old woman smiled, and the lines on her face softened a bit as she said,

            "You are wise beyond your years, young one,"

            Niko was looking at her very oddly. He smoothed his mustache and said slowly,

            "She pinned you to the ground with music?"

            She sighed.

            "I know it sounds extremely far-fetched, but it's true! Do you think I would lie to you about something like this?"

            Grinning, he said,

            "Tris, I believe you."

            "Good," she said frostily. She wasn't sure what she could have done if Niko hadn't believed her, and she didn't appreciate his amused manner.

            "It's just so interesting... we've found a type of magic that hasn't been discovered yet... Think of the potential, Trisana!"

            "I just want to make sure that she finds a teacher, before her powers kill someone," she said nonchalantly.

            "Oh, surely you know by now, Tris?" said Niko, dismayed.

            "What?"

            "Well, you discovered her..."

            Shocked, Tris cried,

            "Surely there's sort of exception when the magic hasn't even been discovered yet! I can't teach her!"

            At this point Niko sat down in a chair and leaned back in it, beaming at her. Apparently the whole thing just struck him as humorous.  
            Fuming, Tris spun on her heel and stalked out.

            Well, Niko, I hope you're happy, she thought bitterly as she strode down the street, skirt whipping about her knees. The wind was cold, and it felt aggravated. _Stop taking it out on me!_ she thought, nettled.

            The girl was sitting, in almost the same exact place Tris had found her the day before. She watched her with wary black eyes.

       "I'm sorry that I upset you yesterday," she offered cautiously, not taking her eyes off Tailynn's face.

            The girl nodded. She started to stroke the instrument again, nervous, quick strokes.

            "You don't have to be frightened of me," she said gently. Not many saw this mellower side of Tris; she kept it that way on purpose.

            The girl smiled at her- brief and bright, like a ray of sunshine. Then she continued studying her instrument.

            _This was going to be more difficult than I thought_, Tris realized despondently.

            "You've got magic... with music," she added as an afterthought. "And you need a teacher, or else you could hurt someone." She winced as she remembered the painful bruises from yesterday.

            Much to her surprise, the girl nodded, and held out her hand to her. Tris accepted the gesture, feeling as though she were beginning a great undertaking with this simple gesture.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- I forgot to put a disclaimer on my first chapter. I own nothing. You can't sue me now, hahah! I hope I didn't ruin your only chance of happiness with that. But then again, if you find happiness in sueing people, you have some problems. Producers of light are not edible.

Thanks for reviewing, Arabella Silverbell, The Elven Archer of Rivendell and mermaid2bseeker. 

Arabella Silverbell- Thanks! I was trying to come up with something that hadn't been used yet... and this is what I came up with! Lol

The Elven Archer of Rivendell- Yeah, the thing with Keth was really awesome! lol I loved Shatterglass.

mermaid2bseeker- You need to read some Tamora Pierce books! This fanfic is based on "The Circle Opens" series, more specifically, the 4th book, "Shatterglass" and partly off "Cold Fire".

Tris nearly refused to wake up the next morning. When she opened her eyes, she immediately remembered all the events of the previous day, and felt the weight of her responsibility settle on her shoulders.

But after this thought had wriggled into her mind, she discovered that she had no choice when she saw Tailynn's face peering at her from the doorway.

Furious, she burrowed under the covers and screamed,

"Get out!!!"

She absolutely _hated _for people to see her when she had barely woken up in the morning.

A half hour later, Tris was miserably sitting at the table, not even touching her breakfast. Niko graced her with an amused smile, which did nothing to elevate her mood. Tailynn, too, did not eat, but instead stared at them all with her probing black eyes.

When Niko had finished, he announced lightly,

"I'm going to be in town all day on private business. Feel free to as you please."

Tris nodded slightly, barely acknowledging that she had heard him. Despite her efforts to contain them, there were lightening bolts dancing on the ends of her braids, a product of her high level of apprehension.

Tailynn continued to gaze at her with childlike innocence.

"How old are you?" Tris asked her idly.

The girl looked thoughtful for a moment, then held up nine fingers.

"Nine," she said aloud, tapping her fingers on the tabletop. She definitely didn't act her age.

Tailynn started humming very softly. A purple glow resonated from her body.

"It applies to singing, too? Mithros, I don't know how to teach you!" she cried despondently, resting her head in her hands. "And on top of that, you don't speak."

_There are other ways to communicate._

Tris looked up in surprise. The girl was tapping her fingers on the table in a monotonous rhythm, and didn't exhibit any signs that she had spoken.

"Did you-"

_The music magic doesn't let me speak. _

Tris shook her head, resisting the urge to bang it on the table. Was she going insane?

_I'm talking to you through music in my head, Tris. I'm surprised you can hear me, no one else can._

_It doesn't sound like music, it sounds like a voice, _thought Tris.

_To you, it does. Most people just notice that they get a song stuck in their head when they approach me.  Even other mages don't hear my voice._

_This is-_

_Impossible? No, not really. There are lots of things that mages don't know because they don't want to open their mind to them. They want to think that what they've learned at academies is all there is to know. But you... you listen. You want to learn._

_You don't act your age._

_  Magic matures people, as you well know, I'm sure. That kind of gift must be a handful._

Tris smiled, and her spirits started to lift. Since there was a way to communicate with this girl, maybe teaching her would be a little easier...

_But I still have no idea where to start!_

_Where did you start last time you worked with a student?_

KETH! It hit her like a thunderbolt. He had an unusual gift too. And she had started with meditation, just like with anyone else.

_Meditation. First let me make a circle around us, so that none of the magic gets out._

Tailynn waited patiently. When Tris had finished, she sat down and closed her eyes, under her teacher's instruction.

_Now, pretend that you're fitting your magic into a small object._

_Like my flute?_

_That's a flute?_

_I don't know what else it could be._

_True. That's good, try that._

Tailynn concentrated, knitting her brow into delicate creases.  The purple glow emanating around her flickered.

_That doesn't look good._

Without warning the glow exploded, sending out bolts of magic in all directions.  Amethyst light flooded the room as it broke the magical circle and flooded out the windows and doors.

A bolt of it hit Tris squarely, and she screamed in pain. Tailynn stared helplessly, frozen in place with fear.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

The fury-filled inquiry came from a middle-aged Namornese woman, standing in the doorway. The muscles in her hefty arms were tensed.

Tris picked herself up off the floor, still slightly dazed.

"I- uh-"

"YOU- STUPID- GIRL! CAN YOU NOT CONTROL YOUR OWN STUDENT?"

Tris returned the glare with a cool look of her own.

"If you think you can do a better job, then you may affront my teaching methods. But since you obviously cannot, I suggest you leave, now."

Unappeased, the woman shot back,

"You nearly killed someone! A blast of that- whatever it was, knocked over a tree that nearly killed my child! I _suggest _that you don't let a mishap of that nature occur again!"

Tris nodded curtly and shut the door in the woman's face.

_Well, I've learned something._

_What would that be?_

_The average teaching methods aren't going to work on you._


End file.
